Piano pedal-action



- A. A. HU'SEBY.

PIANO PEDAL ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24,3919.

1,333,357. Patented Mar. 16,1920.

Qlberi a. fiwey UNITED STATES PATENT orricn ALBERT A. HUSEBY, 0F GI-IICAGQ ILLINOIS.

PIANO PEDAL-ACTION.

' Application filed October 24,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Anmnrr A. HUsEBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at a Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano Pedal-actions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pedal actions for pianos and like musical instruments employing expression pedals, and has reference more particularly to pedal actions of the general type disclosed in my former Patent No. 1,085,915, Feb. 3, 1914, wherein the pedal movement is transmitted to the parts of the piano action affected thereby through the intermediary of a horizontally journaled rock-shaft having radial arms one of which overlies the pedal or pedals and the other of which is operatively connected to the usual lifter rod operating the hammer rail, dampers, etc., and wherein the rock-shaft is maintainedin normal pedal engaging position by the gravity effect of the hammer rail, the springs of the dampers, etc.

One object of the present invention is to obviate the complicated and cumbersome mechanism heretofore extensively employed for transmitting the rocking movements of the pedals to the lifter rods which actuate the dampers, hammer rails, etc., and to thereby do away with the squeaks and other objectionable noises resulting therefrom.

Another object is to provide an improved construction which shall dispense with the squeaky springs heretofore employed to return the pedals to normal position, and to provide a pedal returning means which shall substantially equalize the resistance to the foot pressure in all of the pedals, and shall insure independent action of all the pedals and particularly of two or more pedals which may operate a single rockshaft. 1

My invention, its construction, mode of action, and advantages, will all be readily understood when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating one practical embodiment thereof, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the lower portion of a piano case showing myv im-- proved pedal action applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a. front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 332,869.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Flgs. 4L and 5 are detail top plan views of portions of divided hammer rails; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View of a modification.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates the loud pedal and 6 and 7 the sostenuto or soft pedals which operate to shift the hammer rail toward the strings reducing the length of hammer stroke. These pedals are pivoted at 8, 9 and 10, respectively on a common axis in and between bearing blocks 11. Extending transversely across the inner ends of the pedals is a bar 12 secured at its ends by screws 13 to the tops of the outer bearing blocks 11. The bar 12 is formed on its under side with spring sockets 1% corresponding in number to the number of pedals; and in each of these sockets is mounted the upper end of a coil compression spring 15, the lower end of whichrests directly upon the upper side of the inner end portion of the pedal, being preferably secured against slipping by a centering lug 16 on the upper side of the pedal. These springs 15 operate to always maintain the outer ends of the pedals in normal elevated position, and to promptly return them to such position when depressed and released by the foot of the player; they are quiet; they act independently; and they substantially equalize the resistance to the foot pressure in all the pedals.

Journaled in bearing blocks 17 is a rock shaft 18 which, at one end, has a forwardly bent arm 19 terminating in a right angle bend 20 that directly overlies the inner end of the loud pedal 5. The other end of the rock shaft has a forwardly extending arm 21 that engages the lower end of the lifter rod 22 of the dampers. This rock-shaft construction is similar to that shown in my former Patent No. 1,085,915, above referred to. Also journaled in two of the bearing blocks 17 parallel with the rock-shaft 18 is another similar rock-shaft 23 having at one end a forwardly bent arm 24 terminating in a right angle bend 25 that overlies the inner end of the soft pedal 7. The other end of rock-shaft 23 has a forwardly extending arm 26 to which is connected the lower end of a lifter rod 27 that actuates the bass section 28 (Figs. 4 and 5) of a divided hammer rail. Also journaled in bearing blocks 29 is a third similar rock-shaft 30 having at one end a forwardly and downwardly bent arm 81 terminating in a rightangle bend 32 that overlies the inner end of the softpedal 6. The other end of rock-shaft 30 has a forwardly extending arm 33 to which is connected the lower end of a lifter rod 34 that actuates the treble section 35 (Figs. i and 5) of a divided hammer rail. It is common practice in pianos to provide a divided hammer rail with two soft pedals operatively connected to the bass and treble sections thereof respectively, and with a cleat, such as 36 (Fig. 4c) fastened to the bass section 28 and extending behind the treble section 35, or a similar cleat 36 fastened to the treble section 35 and extending behind the bass section 28; so that when one of the soft pedals is depressed the entire hammer rail is shifted toward the strings, and when the other soft pedal is depressed only the bass or treble section is so shifted. So far as I am aware, however,the means herein shown and described between the soft pedals and the lifter-rods for actuating a divided han1- mer rail is new with me.

The described arrangement, by a slight modification may be used for effecting dif fercnt shifts of a one-piece hammer rail to secure the ordinary soft-pedal effect and also the still softer or practice eifect. This is illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein the arms 2% and 31" of the rock-shafts 23 and 30 are of different lengths, so that the pedals 6 and 7, when depressed, rock said shafts to different extents, and hence shift the hammer rail toward the strings to different extents.

It should be understood that the apparatus herein above described is adapted and designed for use with piano actions wherein the weight of the hammer rail serves to return the hammer rail rock-shaft 01' shafts to normal position, and the damper springs serve to return the damper rock-shaft to normal position. I

I claim 1. In a piano pedal action, the combination of a rigid one-piece pedal pivoted between its ends, a bar transversely overlying the inner end of said pedal and disposed forwardly of the pivot of the latter, and a compression spring between said pedal and bar operating to hold the outer end of the pedal in raised position.

2. In a piano pedal action, the combination of a plurality of rigid one-piece pedals disposed side by side and pivoted between their ends, a bar transversely overlying the inner ends of said pedals and disposed forwardly of the pivots of the latter, said bar being formed on its under side with spring sockets, and a corresponding plura-lity of vertically disposed compression springs seated at their upper ends in said sockets and at their lower ends stepped on reach provided on its upper side with a spring-centering lug, of a bar transversely overlying the inner ends of said pedals and formed'on its under side with spring sockets, and a corresponding plurality of coil compression springs mounted at their upper ends insaid sockets and at their lower ends stepped on said pedals around said centering lugs.

4-. In a piano pedal action,'the combination with pair of soft pedals pivoted between their respective ends, and a hammer rail, of a pair of lifter rods for actuating said hammer rail, a pair of independent rock-shafts each having an arm overlying the inner end of one of said pedals and an other arm engaged with one of said lifter rods, and independent springs for holding said pedals in normal position.

In a piano pedal action, the combination with a pair of soft pedals pivoted between their respective ends, and a divided hammer rail, of a pair of lifter rods for actuating the treble and base sections of said hammer rail respectively, a pair of independent rock-shafts each having an arm overlying the inner end of one of said pedals and another arm engaged with one of said lifter-rods, and independent springs acting to depress the inner ends of said pedals.

G. In a piano pedal action, the combination with a pair of soft pedals pivoted between their respective ends, and a divided hammer rail, of a pair of lifter rods for actuating the treble and bass sections-of said hammer rail respectively, a pair of oppositely extending rock-shafts each. having at its inner end an. arm overlying the inner end of one of said pedals and at its outer end another arm engaged with one of said lifter-rods, and independent springs acting to depress the inner ends of said pedals.

' 7. In a piano pedal action, the combination with. a pair of soft pedals pivoted between their respective ends on a common axis. and a divided hammer rail, ofa pair of lifter rods for actuating the treble and base sections of said hammer rail respectively, a pair of oppositely extending rockshafts each having at its inner end an arm formed'with a terminal portion lying parallel with the rock-shaft and resting upon the inner end of one of said pedals and another arm on the same side of said rock-shaft engaged with one of said lifter-rods, a bar overlying the inner ends of said pedals, and independent.compression springs between said bar and the inner ends of said pedals.

ALBERT A. HUSEBY. 

